Backside

[Surfdad]

I know that most folks prefer to ride frontside, and that they work on tricks for THAT side (whether it be port or starboard) only. I like to work on riding both frontside and backside regular (as opposed to switch). I've been behind a bunch of boats, and I don't think I know of a better hull for surfing both sides, that doesn't require the loss of seating room due to fat sacs everywhere to generate a decent surf wake.

[Matt Garcia]

Those 23Vs will put out a sweet wake. Pictures look good.

I finally tried backside this weekend and boy was it odd feeling. I was only able to let go of the rope for short periods. I think a few more outings and I will get the feel for it.

[ragboy]

[OT] Are you going to be at Delta INT in august? The surf comp is sunday. Are they using your boat again?

[dogbert]

I got lazy, so when one of my kids friends wanted to wakesurf goofy, I told him he'd have to learn to ride backside. He'd not been able to freesurf frontside yet, but this forced him to not pull against the rope and level out so he could freesurf. After 2 tries, he was doing it and then he was hooked. It is harder getting up, but once he learned to drop into the pocket, it wasn't a problem.

[Moki]

That is awesome, I will have to try backside sometime. Looks like a lot of fun.

[Surfdad]

Hey Dog, that is interesting...I hadn't thought about the body position, but you're right, for folks that have some difficulty moving their feet closer to the inside rail, riding backside would put them in the natural position when they first got up.

Ragboy, we are going to be at the August INT League (btw, I just posted 95 or so picture over at WW taken by Bre, I should post some here shouldn't I?). Currently we have two Enzo's scheduled to pull that wakesurf contest. My Tige will be staged as standby.

I agree with you Matt, there is something about the combination of weight and hull design elements that makes that old 23V one of the best wakesurf hulls on both sides.

[dogbert]

Surfdad, how fast were you going in those pics?

[wakeboarder247]

Those are some sweet pics!! Last time I went out I tried surfing the port side (since I'm goofy) and man is it a different feeling! I tried surfing the port side both heelside and switch and it's amazing how fast you can feel like a beginner again when riding switch.. I was able to surf okay heelside/switch but was mostly just going straight.. not a lot of carving going on yet..

[Surfdad]

Dog, let me think...we had Dennis and his daughter Bree on the boat that day...NORMALLY, when we ride the port side, we have the PP set at 10.5. When my buddy Dennis rides, we drop it to 10.0 - no pictures of Dennis riding here. I played with the speed setting...I believe the slowest I rode was 10.7 and the fastest was 11.2. The 11.2 was a big fast for me, I think that I felt the most comfortable at 10.7. James prefers 10.5. With Judy, we tend to adjust the speed to suite her.

[Surfdad]

247, I know what you mean. I can semi-surf backside switch, but I literally can't surf frontside switch. It's like starting all over again. I wonder how many folks practice switch or backside?

[wakeboarder247]

I doubt very many people practice switch or backside.. There are starting to be more and more wakesurfers at my local lake.. especially when it gets rough and people still want to have fun.. and I have never seen anyone else riding backside. Now I wouldn't know if they were riding switch or not but backside is rare.. you ever see peeps riding backside? Oh and what lake is your home lake?

[Surfdad]

We mostly ride New Hogan, an annual pass is something like $22 With the occasional run up to Shasta. On our boat, Dennis and his daughter are both goofy-foot, so everyone in the boat rides backside at some point during the day.

I keep hearing folks say that there are more wakesurfers on their lake, but honestly, we might see one other boat wakesurfing about every 5-6 trips up there. So...Hogan isn't getting the sort of growth that other folks in Nor Cal are talking about.

[ragboy]

We mostly ride New Hogan, an annual pass is something like $22 With the occasional run up to Shasta. On our boat, Dennis and his daughter are both goofy-foot, so everyone in the boat rides backside at some point during the day.

I keep hearing folks say that there are more wakesurfers on their lake, but honestly, we might see one other boat wakesurfing about every 5-6 trips up there. So...Hogan isn't getting the sort of growth that other folks in Nor Cal are talking about.

On oroville, when we surf, its like we are an attraction or something. Everyone stares. I have only seen one other boat wakesurf this season so far, and none before.

[wakeboarder247]

Let me clarify.. by "more and more wakesurfers" I meant I will usually see one per outing. Last time I went out we were surfing back and forth by the dam and there was another boat full of chicks that were wakesurfing too! At least two of them were surfing pretty well w/ no rope! So to clarify.. there still aren't "a lot" of wakesurfers at my lake.. but some..

[Surfdad]

Speaking of being more of a novelty, I have to relay a funny story that Ed Sullivan in Ohio tells. He has an older Centurion Lightning. Not a good wakesurfing hull. Anyway, they load it up with 2,000 pounds of ballast and then in the inital years they would have a BIG GUY hanging off the tower trying to get more list out of the boat. Well apparently some folks driving by mistook the list and people hanging all over as a SURE sign that the boat was capsizing Next thing Ed knows is that he has a young lady wakesurfing behind his boat and there is a rescue helicopter circling him. He just assumed that they were taking in the view of the lovely lady. I guess it was much later in the day that he discovered that the helicopter was dispatched to rescure the survivors of his sinking boat.

I think that is the CLASSIC wakesurfing misinformation story. We USED to get stopped by folks asking if we knew our boat was sinking, did we forget to put the plug in. I always threatened in my mind to tell everyone on board that the NEXT time it happened, where someone rushed to our rescue and asked if we knew our boat was sinking to SHRIEK in terror and then jump overboard